SMOKE-FREE NATION

When smokers in New York, Dublin and Toronto complain about government bans on lighting up in a pub, they should spare a thought for their fellow addicts in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan.

Bhutan to stub out tobacco sales

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has decided to ban all tobacco products from Wednesday, a government notification says.
Shops, hotels, restaurants and bars selling tobacco products have been ordered to dispose of existing stocks before 17 December.
The tobacco ban will not apply to foreign tourists, diplomats or those working for NGOs.
Bhutan is thought to be the first country with a full tobacco sales ban.

Bhutan is not typically a trend-setting nation. It only permitted television and the internet from 1999. However, given the rapid extension of smoking bans throughout most of the West, I expect that it will only be a short matter of time before activists start citing the country's example as one to be emulated.

Hopefully I can get through that Allen Carr book before that happens.